The Ghana Football Association’s planned legacy project at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence has been delayed while the site is secured against interference from land guards.
Winnifred Mawudeku, the facility’s director, said work on the development was paused so fencing could be installed around the land before construction resumed.
The GFA announced the project a year ago, with plans to build a 40-bed accommodation facility that would serve as a residential and training base for Ghana’s national football teams.
Speaking to Sporty FM, Mawudeku said protecting the site was necessary to allow the project to progress safely.
“The legacy project has been delayed a bit because we needed to secure the land at Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence and fence it so that we don’t have land guards coming to worry us when the project is going on.
“So we had to pause the project to do the fencing for the project to continue safely,” she said.
The development is being financed with proceeds from Ghana’s participation in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Mawudeku said the plans included a four- or five-star hotel at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence, which would provide accommodation for Ghana’s senior men’s national team, the Black Stars.
“Funding for the legacy projects was given to us after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. So it’ll be built here at the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence. It’ll be a four- or five-star hotel for the Black Stars to use,” she added.
The proposed accommodation is also intended to support Ghana’s other national teams, providing residential, training and retreat facilities for sides ranging from the under-17 teams to the senior men’s and women’s squads.
That includes the Black Stars and the Black Queens.
The project is expected to enhance the centre’s role as a base for the preparation and development of Ghana’s national teams once it is completed.